In recent years, electronic recording cards such as an IC card (integrated circuit card), etc., have become popular with their superior portability and ample information capacity in the background.
In light of the above, a scheme is being introduced which manages users using the electronic recording card with an object of operating equipment units such as establishing information confidentiality and restricting usage even in an environment in which electronic equipment units such as an image processing apparatus, etc., are used. In the environment in which such a scheme is introduced, a user may utilize an electronic equipment unit by the following method, for example. First, the user places an electronic recording card (below called “a user card” for convenience) which is issued in advance to the user over a reading apparatus included in an electronic equipment unit which the user seeks to use. Here, the electronic equipment unit matches management information of a user already registered with information read from a user card and determines usage permission from the matched results. As a result, the user may use electronic equipment unit when he is allowed to use it.
However, in such a scheme, it is necessary to collate information read from the user card with management information of the user. Currently, such collating operation (below called “information management task”) is being done manually by an administrator, which operation is cumbersome for the administrator. Therefore, a technique is being proposed which makes it possible for the user himself to collate the above-described information sets.
For example, Patent document 1 discloses a technique of prompting a user to input user information (“log-in information, for example) at the time of initial reading of a user card and, upon the information being input, collating information read from the user card and management information of the user specified based on the input information to reduce a burden on information management tasks.